Your Guide to Setting Diamond Rings
For many, one of the best things about a diamond ring is its simplicity. There are only two important decisions to make before getting to the specifics of choosing the royal ring and that is price and style.
In the world of jewelry and crafts that this entails, one can determine a lot the other. Understanding why is taking a closer look at style and all that is understood: the size and cut of the diamonds, the precious metals used, and the settings in which they are attached.
This article is designed as a guide to the basics of diamond ring setting, to help you make an informed decision and not be blinded by technical terms when surrounded by the twinkling lights of jewelry.
First, only four primary settings are used to set diamonds and then a wide variety of variations in diamonds. These are: Prong, Bezel, Tension and Melee.
Plug setting
Perhaps the most common setting for diamonds, the point allows maximum light input while holding the stone securely in place. 4, 5, 6 and even 8 tips are used. Ideal for a solitaire diamond, the prong setting shows the diamond brilliantly, although the profile is often high, meaning it stays out of the hand and can snag or scratch things, which may not be practical for everyone .
Variations: X or trellis point, W point, common point, Tiffany style and cathedral configuration
Bezel setting
The bezel and half bezel are very secure settings. Although they don’t let in as much light as a spike setting, they are still great for solitaire and present the stone beautifully and can tend to have a more modern look. They also have the advantage of not getting as dirty and the more aerodynamic effect means that they tend to snag on things like those that are prone to spikes.
Variations: Half Bezel, Halo Bezel
Voltage setting
Tension adjustment is a very modern way of placing stones using lasers to adjust the tension on the metal band exactly to keep the stone in place. Only suitable for very hard stones such as diamonds and sapphires, the tension setting can be used to create very modern, creative and unusual designs. Please note, however, that due to the nature of the fit, the band cannot be altered or resized as this would involve cutting the band and breaking the tension. Due to this tension, rings are not the best heirlooms, as rings rarely exactly fit future generations.
Variation: tension style
Melee fit
The term melee setting is representative of a comprehensive collection of diverse and often intricate setting techniques, often used on rings featuring smaller stones or smaller stones surrounding one, two or more larger diamonds. Taken from the French for “mixture”, these techniques are used to display diamonds side by side. The names often suggest the style, for example, channel set rings contain smaller diamonds set side by side in a channel, bar channel set means that a small metal bar is located between each stone within from the canal, Pave should look like shiny diamond pavement and so on …
Channel setting, bar channel, pavé setting, bead setting, group setting, shock setting, dancer setting
The goal of all good diamond settings is twofold:
1. Keeping your gemstone in place safely, regardless of the rigors of daily life it may be exposed to.
2. Allow as much light as possible to enter your diamond to display it to its maximum effect.
Needless to say, these two things are not initially compatible with each other.
Without setting in infallible
It is important to have a jeweler check your diamond ring from time to time. A skilled eye can detect any damage or weakness within an environment and hopefully avoid the horror of losing the stone. However, no fit is perfect, so it is a good idea to keep your proof of purchase and any subsequent appraisals in a safe place along with your insurance details.
Depending on the price of the ring, separate insurance is seldom required, home and contents coverage must be adequate. However, if you have a collection of valuable jewelry, it may be advisable to purchase a higher value homeowners policy.